1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a toilet bowl.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A toilet bowl has a bowl body, a horseshoe-shaped seat resting on the rim of the bowl body, and a lid adapted to be placed on the seat. The seat and the lid are hinged to the rear portion of the rim of the bowl. At the time of men's defecation and for women's use, the lid alone is opened so that the user can sit on the seat. When a man urinates, both the lid and the seat are swung open.
Unlike household water closets, those which are open to the public are apt to make a user assume that the lid and the seat, and especially the latter, have been stained by others. Thus, a man often urinates in a public lavatory without swinging the seat open, because a sense of filthiness makes him hesitate to touch the seat to swing it open. Such a disregard for the public results in actually soiling the seat and thereby rendering the toilet unusable for defecation.
To solve the above-described disadvantage, electric and foot-operated devices for swinging the lid and the seat have already been proposed. However, such devices have the following disadvantages. Firstly, they require expensive equipment. Secondly, the automization of swinging motion of the lid and the seat is unsuitable for public lavatories. Thirdly, such devices, especially foot-operated type, are liable to cause trouble when roughly handled. Fourthly, the user of a foot-operated device must keep his foot on the pedal all the time during defecation or urination. Lastly, if the lid and/or the seat is restored to the horizontal position by spring action, either they or nichrome wire accommodated therein for heating purpose may be damaged by the impact.